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+
+# Discord bot -> account ban
+
+## what happened
+
+built discord-friender (automated friend requests) as part of discord-lattice (a Chrome extension that maps Discord friends into a network graph). the automation worked great — until Discord detected it and banned the account.
+
+## why it's a gotcha
+
+platform automation is seductive. you see an API (or a pattern you can automate), you build something cool, and it works. until the platform detects it and nukes your account. Discord, Instagram, LinkedIn — they all have detection systems for automated behavior, and the penalties are real. recovering a banned account is painful and not guaranteed.
+
+## the fix
+
+read the ToS, especially for platforms that actively detect automation. if the ToS says "no automated friend requests," they mean it, and they have systems to enforce it. if you want to build on a platform, use their official API within their rate limits. if the official API doesn't support what you want to do, that's a signal — not a challenge to work around.
+
+## see also
+
+- [[stay-on-admins-good-side]] — platform rules are admin rules
+- [[hardcoding-secrets-in-code]] — another "move fast, break things, lose your account" moment
+- [[esp32-debugging-saga]] — both involve assumptions about how systems work
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